This is GMH's eighth military housing contract and its fifth for the Army. It is part of the Army's Residential Communities Initiative under which the service plans to privatize Army family housing at 34 installations throughout the country. GMH is partnering with Oklahoma City, OK-based Benham Companies, which is an architectural and engineering firm, and Dallas-based Centex Construction Co. in a partnership named GMH/AB/Centex Military Housing LLC.

Plans call for the design and construction of new housing, renovation of existing housing, the creation of community centers, and construction and maintenance of roadways and infrastructure, along with management of a 2,752-unit community at Fort Bliss and the 315-unit one at the missile range in New Mexico. Plans are subject to Congressional approval. Bruce Robinson, president of GMH, expects the project to begin by mid-2005.

The assistant secretary of the Army for installations and environment has overall responsibility for the RCI program. Under the program, servicemen and women residing on post receive a basic allowance for housing and pay rent to the developer. The rental revenues cover all development costs, operations and maintenance costs, as well as debt service.